Senate Approves RivCo Lawmaker's Bill Seeking to Boost Number of Medical Practitioners

By City News Service:

A Riverside County lawmaker’s bill seeking to expand the number of doctors available statewide, especially in areas where physician shortages limit access to healthcare, was approved this week by the state Senate.

Senate Bill 22 would establish “a funding framework based on a public- private partnership that is critical to addressing inland Southern California and the state’s long-term physician needs,” said Sen. Richard Roth, D- Riverside, whose colleagues unanimously approved the proposal.

The bill, the subject of committee hearings since last April, calls for the establishment of a Medical Training Advisory Panel within the Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development.

The 13-member advisory panel would be tasked with reaching out to businesses, foundations, public and private medical facilities to generate support for more medical residency programs at campus medical centers, hospitals, community clinics and similar facilities throughout California.

A government fund would be created for supporters to deposit money to finance residency positions.

Roth had the nascent UC Riverside School of Medicine specifically in mind when he drafted the bill, according to his office.

The Inland Empire’s physician shortage has been a topic of discussion for years and provided much of the impetus behind the Riverside County Board of Supervisors’ financial commitments to the UCR School of Medicine.

According to Roth, California will need 8,000 primary care physicians in the next 15 years just to maintain current service levels.

“Only 16 of California’s 58 counties fall within the Council on Graduate Medical Education’s recommended 60-80 primary care physicians per 100,000 people,” according to the senator’s office. “The state as a whole barely meets this recommendation with 63 per 100,000 people. The need for physicians in underserved areas is expected to grow without a targeted investment.”

Roth said the advisory panel would be a means to place doctors in locations where healthcare professionals are scarce.

“If we train tomorrow’s doctors in the areas that need them most, they are more likely to continue serving those areas, helping alleviate critical physician shortages and ensuring equal access to healthcare,” he said.

The bill now goes to the Assembly for consideration.

(Image via Shutterstock)